Passionate gadget collector, Maurice Collins, talks about
the collection of everyday but extraordinarily wacky gadgets he has collected
over thirty years and how it all began.

* 6.30pm
doors open for a chance to shop, view the exhibition and have a glass
of wine.
* Lecture starts: 7.15pm for 45 minutes, followed by
questions.
* Tickets: £6.50 adults, £5.50 concessions, available
from the museum, details below.

Maurice Collins' collection
of ingenious gadgets, built up
over the past 30 years, will engage and amuse everyone, both young and
old. Explore this amazing collection of fascinating and visually intriguing
gadgets and
mind-boggling technology from days of old. It contains
some of the most weird and eccentric labour saving devices ever thought
up, by the imagination of people hoping to strike it rich by their creation.

Marvel at the ingenuity
of the gadgets and find out
how to make the perfect camping cuppa 1920s style and see a self-pouring
teapot, just press the lid and out comes a perfect cup of tea! Come and
see a portable water closet from 1844, before the days of proper bathrooms!

The exhibition
contains an interactive section where visitors can attempt to guess the
purpose of the gadget and the truth is revealed to see if you guessed
correctly! Fascinating and humorous, this exhibition will intrigue and
amuse and is a testament to human ingenuity and resourcefulness.

As well as
being a passionate collector of gadgets, Maurice also gives regular talks
about his collections and he is the author of two books 'Ingenious Gadgets'
and 'Eccentric Contraptions', both of which will be on sale at the museum
during the exhibition.

How to
find the steam museum:
In Green Dragon Lane, Brentford, Middlesex about 100 yards from the north
side of Kew Bridge under the tall Victorian tower. Nearest motorway M4
(turn off at junction 2 signposted to Kew Gardens and north/south circular
roads), down to Chiswick
roundabout, then pick up signs for Kew, Brentford and Hounslow. Turn right
to Brentford
at traffic lights before Kew Bridge. Click here
for a map.

Admission:
Weekends and Bank Holiday Mondays (engines in steam).Adults.£6 Concessions:
£5 Children (5-15 years) Free
Children under the age of 13 years must be accompanied by an adult

How to reach
the Museum by public transport: Buses: 65, 237, 267, 391. Main Line Trains:
Kew
Bridge (South West Trains from Waterloo via Clapham Junction). Gunnersbury
(North London
Line) then 237 or 267 bus. London Underground: Gunnersbury (District Line)
then 237 or 267
bus). South Ealing (Piccadilly Line) the 65 bus.